Game apparatus



Dec. 11, 1934. BMMDOUGALL U 1,983,811

GAME APPARATUS Original Filed June 28, 1934 INVENTOR.

1 BonMacDouyall TAM-6 .4fm

ms ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 11, 1934 PATENT. OFFICE GAME APPARATUS Bon MacDougall, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Fred C. McClellan, Chicago, 111.

Original application June 28, 1934, Serial No. 732,754, Patent No; 1,973,820, September 18,

8 Claims.

This invention relates to certain novel improvements in game apparatus and more particularly to an arrangement for automatically elevating a ball from a lower level of a game apparatus to a higher level thereof whereby the ball may gravitate down the play board of the game apparatus.

The game apparatus embodying the invention is more fully shown in Patent No. 1,973,820, filed June 28, 1934 and granted to the present applicant on September 18, 1934, on a Coin controlled game apparatus; and has for one of its many objects the provision of a mechanism which is simple in structure and highly eflicient for elevating a ball to the surface of a play board for gravitation thereover.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of ball elevating mechanism which is automatically operated by the action of the ball to be elevated.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a ball elevating meachanism capable of universal use in connection with amusement games in general.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed. I

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, showing the preferred form of construction and in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional detail view of the same; and

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

As hereinbefore indicated one of the many objects of this invention is to provide a ball elevating means which is substantially automatic in operation whereby to elevate a ball from a lower level to a higher level.

While it is my object to accomplish this and other objects in the most efficient manner, it will be apparent from the description to follow that in the accomplishment of this and other objects the mechanism employed is capable of universal application in connection with games of skill such as is disclosed in my aforementioned patent on a coin controlled game apparatus, the present application constituting a divisional application thereof.

To accomplish these objects the game illustrated in the drawing of this, my present, application preferably enclose a play board 10 having an exit opening 11 formed therein and upon which Divided and this application July 1934, Serial No. 735,105

play board 10 balls are adapted to gravitate. Beneath this play board 10 is a floor 12 on which is provided a runway 13 adapted to receive a ball 14 from the exit opening 11.

Arranged at the lower end of the inclined runway 13 is a ball-receiving trough 15 in the bottom of which is provided a slot 16 (Fig. 2). Having one end pivotally mounted, as at 17, upon a supporting bracket 18, below theinclined playing board 12 is -a circuit closing or contact member 19 which has a portion 20 that projects into and. works in the slot 16 which is formed in the ballreceiving member or trough 15. Pivotally connected to this circuit closing or contact member 19, as at 21, is a link 22; the link22 being pivotally connected, as at 23, to an arm 24, and the latter being pivotally mounted, as at 25, upon an extension 26 of a supporting bracket 27 that is arranged below the ball runway 13 and floor 12. Mounted on this supporting bracket 27 is a relatively stationary contact 28 and carried by the arm 24 is a relatively movable contact or circuit-closing member 29.

Attached at one end to the ball-receiving member or. trough 15 is an arm 30. This arm 30 rests between its ends upon a bearing 43 and is pivotally connected at its other end, as at 31, to the vertically movable plunger 32 of a solenoid 33; the solenoid 33 forming part of an electromagnetic circuit 34 (Fig. 3). This circuit 34 also ineludes the contacts 28 and 29 and a suitable source of electric energy, such as the battery of dry cells 35 which are arranged within the cabi' net of the game apparatus, below the floor 12.

Pivotally mounted below the floor 12, upon a supporting bracket 36, as at 37, is a circuitbreaking member 38 which has a laterally projecting arm 39 that extends under the pivotal interconnection 21 between the ball-actuated member 19 and the link 22. This circuit-breaking mem- 40 her 38 has an upwardly extending arm 40 which has a lateral extension 41 and this arm 40 of the member 38 works in a slot 42 that is formed in the floor 12.

Formed in the inclined playing board 10 is an opening 44 and arranged in this opening 44 is a ball-guiding member or hood 45 by which balls are guided in a manner presently to be described, into an inclined runway 46 which is arranged upon the inclined playing board 10.

Operation Balls are projected one at a time, by any suitable projecting means (not shown) onto the upper portion of the inclined playing board 10 whereupon they may gravitate over the inclined playing board 10 and enter into the ball exit or scoring opening 11. A ball 14 passing through the exit or scoring opening 11 enters the inclined runway 13 and, traveling down the latter,

\ drops into the ball-receiving member or trough 15 and in so doing falls upon the portion 20 of the ball-actuated member 19, whereupon the member 19 is pivoted at 17 (clockwise, from full to dotted line position, Fig. 2). This movement of the member 19 acts through the link 22 to pivot the arm 24 (counterclockwise, from full to dotted line position, Fig. 2), thereby moving the relatively movable contact or circuit-closing member 29 into engagement with the relatively stationary circuit-closing member or contact 28, and thereby closing the electromagnetic circuit 34 (Fig. 3).

When the electromagnetic circuit 34 is thus closed, the solenoid 33 draws the plunger 32 downwardly, thereby pivoting the arm 30 and the ball-receiving member or trough 15 attached thereto upon the bearing 43 as a fulcrum (clockwise, from full to dotted line position, Fig. 4). This motion of the elevatorarm 30 and trough 15 carries the ball 14 from the lower level 12 or ball return runway up onto the inclined playing board or surface 10, the ball 14 being dumped from the trough 15 into the runway 46 which is provided on the playing board 10.

As the elevator arm 30 approaches the upper limit of its stroke it engages the lateral exten sion 41 of the arm 40 of the circuit-breaking member 38 and pivots the latter at 3'7 (clockwise from full to dotted line position, Fig. 2). This movement of the member 38 causes the laterally extending arm 39 thereof to engage under and lift the pivotal interconnection 21 between the member 19 and link 22, whereupon a resetting spring 47 pivots the arm 24 (clockwise, from dotted to full line position, Fig. 2). I This movement of the arm 24 disengages the movable contact 29 carried thereby from engagement with the stationary contact 28, thereby opening the electromagnetic circuit 34, whereupon the solenoid plunger 32 drops by gravity and in so doing allows the elevator arm 30 and the ball-receiving member 15 carried thereby also to drop by gravity (from dotted to full line position, Fig. 2), into position to receive another ball from the lower level or runway 13 and elevate the same to the higher level or inclined playing surface or board 10.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification, without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a game apparatus, the combination of: a member providing a playing surface having a ball exit opening therein; and means actuated by a ball passed through said opening to a level below said playing surface to elevate said ball from said lower level up to said playing surface.

2. In a game apparatus, the combination of a member providing a playing -surface having a ball exit opening therein; and means including an electromagnetic device actuated by a ball passed through said opening to a level below said playing surface to elevate saidball from said lower level up to said playing surface.

3. In a'game apparatus, the combination of: a member providing a playing surface having a ball exit opening therein; a runway below said playing surface and having communication with said exit opening; and means actuated by a ball in said runway to elevate said ball from said runway up onto said playing surface.

4. In a game apparatus, the combination of a member providing a playing surface having a ball exit opening therein; a runway below said playing surface and having communication with said exit opening; and means including an electromagnetic device actuated by a ball in said runway to elevate said ball from said runway up onto said playing surface.

5. In a game apparatus, the combination of: means providing two surfaces spaced one above the other and over which a ball may travel; and. means actuated by a ball traveling over the said lower surface to elevate said ball up onto the said upper surface.

6. In a game apparatus, the combination of: means providing "two surfaces spaced one above the other and over which a ball may travel; and means including an electromagnetic device actuated by a ball traveling over the said lower surface to elevate said ball up onto the said upper surface.

7. In a game apparatus, the combination of: an inclined playing board having a ball exit opening therein; an inclined ball return runway below said playing board and having communication with said exit opening; and means including a member actuated by a ball traveling down said runway to elevate said ball up onto said playing board.

8. In a game apparatus, the combination of:

an inclined playing board having a ball exit open- 

